Amount awarded: £1,874,010
Led by: Severn Trent Water
Partners: Consumer Council for Water, Hafren Dyfrdwy Cyfyngedig, Nectar 360 Ltd, Portsmouth Water, South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water, Spring Innovation Ltd
We have partnered with Nectar, the UK’s largest loyalty scheme and customer behaviour experts to develop a utility-sector first: using smart meter gamification to incentivise customers to reduce their consumption by awarding points for water-efficient behaviour. This can also drive lower water and energy bills for customers.
“This funding enables us to partner with Nectar to trial at scale and pace behavioural incentivisation to drive change in deep-set customer behaviours. This will support sector commitments to reduce water consumption to 110 litres per person per day by 2050, helping to protect the environment and ensure resilient supplies.” – Tanvir Razvi, Business Strategy and Development Manager, Severn Trent Water Ltd
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Severn Trent has continued its innovative water reduction incentive trial in partnership with Nectar, supported by key collaborators. The initiative rewards customers with Nectar points for reducing their water usage, encouraging long-term behavioural change. To date, four recruitment cycles have been completed, with nearly 4,000 customers enrolled – closely aligning with initial projections. Recruitment is expected to accelerate in July with the rollout of a new internal system and expanded smart meter connectivity. Early results are promising. Customer engagement is strong, with many consistently meeting their water-saving goals – some even achieving ongoing ‘winning streaks,’ indicating lasting behavioural shifts. Water usage reductions compared to the control group are also encouraging. Looking ahead, behavioural science is being embedded into the programme to enhance customer communication. This includes leveraging social norms, refining calls to action, contextualising water use, and testing gain-versus-loss messaging strategies. These approaches are being evaluated for effectiveness against previous, more generic messaging. The first summer challenge has recently launched, applying these techniques to encourage mindful water use during hot weather. While water-saving outcomes are still being analysed, initial engagement levels are high.
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